Guides
Your garden after a storm: a checklist for Madeira
Autumn and winter storms bring heavy rain and strong wind to Madeira. Here is what to check and do in the first days — in the order that keeps you safe and avoids extra damage.
1. Safety first
- Stay away from hanging or cracked branches and from trees that lean after the storm.
- Don't touch fallen cables — call 112 or EEM, the electricity company.
- Check walls and slopes for cracks or loose earth before you work underneath.
2. Photos before anything is moved
- Photograph the damage from several sides: trees, walls, terraces, furniture, gutters.
- Your insurer may ask for photos taken before the clean-up.
3. Let the water run off
- Clear leaves and mud from drains and channels at ground level.
- Empty standing water from pots, saucers and buckets — it rots roots and breeds mosquitoes.
4. Plants
- Straighten and stake knocked-over plants while the soil is still soft.
- Cut broken branches cleanly just above a healthy bud; big cuts on trees are a job for an arborist.
- Hold off with fertiliser until the plants recover.
5. The lawn
- Keep off a waterlogged lawn — footsteps compact the soil.
- Don't mow until it has dried out, and then mow higher than usual.
6. Pots and furniture
- Put pots and furniture back and check them for cracks.
- Before the next storm, bring light pots and cushions inside or tie them down.
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